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Establishing a general colour palette for blondes is a little trickier than the no-brainer reality that brunettes look great in blue. There are several variables that factor into the equation. The first one to consider: what kind of blonde are you? Tow-head, ash blonde, dark blonde or strawberry blonde? Complexion and eye colour are next.

Olive skinned dark blondes get way with wearing pastels and look particularly good in white and brights

Ash blondes wear clean, cold and warm colours equally well, but tend to get washed out by insipid shades

Most blondes look good in black, but occasionally dark slate grey or ink blue is a softer and more flattering choice

Pale skinned blondes can look super in white if it’s appropriately contrasted with a strong colour like black or a bright

Cream is a good choice for blondes that have cream strands running through their hair

Blondes with blue eyes wear blue well and blondes with green eyes wear green well

I’m a rosy cheeked, short-haired ash blonde with creamy complexion and green eyes. I partially highlight my hair with ultra-blonde streaks, which is why I wear cream well. I look best in strong, sour bright colours like fiery red, canary yellow, citron, lime green, emerald green, fuchsia, cobalt blue, and bright turquoise. I look equally good in black and white combinations, ink blue and a dark olive green. I look a little blah in brown, but it comes alive when I add red, yellow, cream, white or black into the mix. I look dreadful in pastels, beige, light grey, muted brights and antique colours and avoid them like the plague. What type of blonde are you and which colours do you wear best?

I am weird when it comes to this I guess, but I tend to wear a lot of different colors from various categories above. I am have a very fair skin with slight pink undertones, light-blue eyes and dark blond hair, with ash undertone – a “summer” in the seasonal color category. My coloring is very similar to that of this model here.

So this what I’ve found (applies mostly to colors worn on the top-next to my face):
1. I wear all the possible blues well, other than royal blue, which has tendency to wash me out because it’s bit too strong
2. Blue-based greens, reds (cherry, wine), all varieties of purples, plums, berries and pink work pretty well too
3. Cream is my best white, pure white is too severe on me
4. I can pull off black with right make-up
5. All greys and navy work well, brown if it has a sort of a cool undertone-bitter chocolate, I’d call it
6. Beiges are absolutely horrible on me
7. Very warm colors such as rust, orange, mossy green etc, are quite bad too
8. Yellow works only if it’s a pale lemon, orange not at all in any variety

This makes perfect sense, Tanya. I have seen your complexion and you look fantastic in muted brights, cold colours and reds with blue undertones. That’s why it’s tricky to come up with a general colour palette for blondes. Lots of variables come into play and I am still learning!

My hairdresser says I’m a “neutral” blonde – neither ashy nor golden. While I was definetly born a blonde and had blonde hair into my 20s, I now highlight my hair – if I didn’t, it’d be a darker light brown with red undertones. I’ve tried golden highlights and it looks all wrong. Ashy highlights, however, look even worse!! Washes me out completely.

My hairdresser says I could become a redhead very easily. Brunette? No way. Too dark and washes me out. My sister, incidentally, has auburn hair and brown eyes. My DD’s are blue-eyed blondes – the youngest is a scandanvian white blonde, and the oldest is a honey blonde. When I was their age, my shade was somewhere in between the two.

My eyes are hazel. Depending on what I wear, they will look more blue or more green. As I’ve gotten older, they look more and more green rather than blue.

Skin tone – I’m not super-pale or fair, but I do burn very easily. I have ruddy cheeks, blue undertones (you can see my veins in certain places), and my lips are mauve *NOT* pink. I cannot wear pink lipstick unless I first lay down a thick coating of foundation on my lips. But, I can walk into any drugstore and confidently purchase any lipstick that is in the mauve family and be sure it’ll work.

Colors I think work well on me include:

- Most shades of blues, except for cobalt that is in style now. That color looks awful on me!
- Most shades of green, except for the green that BR has this season. The green that AT has recently looks fab though… this color:http://tinyurl.com/6pd6qs
… I guess you would say I look better in the “muddier” or “muted” shades of blue and green.
- Navy blue looks better on me than black, but this is more because I think that black accents my wrinkles and fine lines.
- I can wear most shades of brown. Brings out the green in my eyes. Brown is much more forgiving for fine lines too.
- Cream is much better on me (near my face) than optic white. A khaki jacket looks better on me than a white one.
- Red: as long as it has blue undertones, red is a great color for me. Cranberry, tomato, wine work great.
- Mauve and eggplant: any shade – very flattering!!
- Oranges: I can wear some oranges, but other oranges look horrible. I never really analyzed this, why one shade of orange will work and another does not.
- yellow: don’t think this works on me at all. Any shade.
- pastels: often work, but I have such a baby face, I don’t really like to wear pastels, except in small doses.
- Fuschia: looks horrible on me.

Of the photos you posted, Angie, I could probably get away with all – at least passably – except that yellow sweater. That would be absolutely awful on me!! The red is a “maybe” – it would look better on me with a bit more blue undertones (like my ATL jacket). I suspect the green dress would look lovely and my eyes would appear green as can be. The turquoise I can and do wear as long as it’s offset by white, as shown.

This is a good conversation for me. My daughter is a blond with blue eyes. As a brunette myself, I am now required to figure out what colors work for her coloring. Her hair was very light blond when she was born but it seems to have darkened over the past couple years. I think she qualifies as an ash blond…maybe? Black and white are awful on her. Mellow pinks and yellows are great…cream looks nice next to her face. I am tending more towards the “spring” palate from the old seasonal color philosophy when I choose her clothes. Any of the “winter” colors that I choose for myself look really harsh on her.

Are we talking about our natural hair color (which used to be blond but I’m not so sure anymore) or what we make of it? I think I’m very dark blond, but have a lot of highlights to brighten things up, and I have blue eyes.

I think my best colors are blue (navy, ink, but also cobalt and some lighter shades, but not too harsh of a royal blue), red red (“true red”, blue undertones; no wines, rust reds, or orangey reds), and fuchsia.

I also wear brown well, which I was suprised to discover a couple years ago. Lime and kelly greens are pretty good, and I wear black well (with bright accessories.)

Pink is actually quite flattering on me, but I don’t wear a lot of it, as I prefer fuchsia.

Colors that don’t look good on me: beige, grey (the lighter the worse), purple (which I don’t like anyway), orange and other “fall colors”.

I reserve cream for bottoms (even that is new to me. thanks to this forum ). Crisp white works if it’s part of a top, e.g. a shirt with a bright layer over it. And I use yellow and silver very sparingly, mostly for shoes.

The color I’m most curious about and would love to integrate into my wardrobe is turquoise. I have always loved it, but have not found the right flattering shade. I hope there is one for me!

I’m a brunette but my husband is a blond, now gone a a bit gray – in pictures his hair can look white. So, my question is how does that change a blonde’s color picture when blonde moves into gray? I remember my mother changing her color pallete a bit when she went from blonde to gray – I recall her specifically changing her jewerly from gold to silver, and her moving into more cool, crisp colors.

Anyway, one thing I noticed with my husband is that a really dark blue suddenly looks fab on him. Does that make sense? Anything else a grey-blonde should try?

I’m a strawberry blond with very rosy skin. I think I look best in slightly more muted tones, although I tend to gravitate toward brighter colours because I like them. Chocolate brown, various shades of green, turquoise, yellow all look good on me. Black makes me look really red. Most pastels look terrible, except for a very light peachy-pink, which looks great.

It’s hard, though – if I try on a couple of things at the same time I can tell what looks best colourwise (like I saw this weekend when I was trying on brown and black jackets), but I’m quite attracted to strong vibrant purples and oranges, which are probably not my best colours. It’s hard to leave them alone, though!

I am a fair-skinned, green-eyed blonde (dark blonde with highlights) and have tended to focus on reds (bright and cool, as well as darker, such as wine) and rich pinks (bright, such as fuschia, and dull, such as dusty rose). I don’t look good at all in pastels. I think I need to work in some greens in my wardrobe. Curiously, I also am lacking in blues, some of which I know will work for my coloring. The right color of cream looks very nice in combination with other colors. I’m not sure about black and white. Warm colors don’t do much for me at all.

Thank you NancyF. This was a negligent mistake on my part and it shall be corrected shortly.

I am not a fan of the “ol season colour system”, Marlene. Simply because you cannot see colours in isolation. Certain colours become wearable when they are mixed with other colours, or worn as an accent instead of a dominant hue. There are too many ingredients that change the flavour of the mix like make-up, eye-brow colour and eye-colour. I strongly believe that there are colours that people look best in. This is what I blogged about. But boxing us into seasons does not make sense to me. The same way it doesn’t make sense that white pants make you look bigger than you are, and curvy girls can’t wear skinnies. The devil is always in the details and it’s these details that I like to share with you. Thinking “out of the box” is my specialty. Hope that makes sense!

I have dark blonde hair and blue eyes and fair skin. Slate gray brings out my eyes better than bright blue. The strange thing is, people tell me that my eyes really stand out when I wear an olive-green shirt. Not sure why…

As for colors that don’t look good on me, ORANGE! I can get away with yellow, if it’s not too bright. I also don’t look great in cream tones.

I’m a “Summer” with dark blonde hair and medium blue eyes. My skin is medium and very pinky/ruddy. I like to think in terms of contrast. I am very low contrast – my hair, skin and eyes are all medium toned. Thus, I think I look better in muted medium colors — bluish/gray, medium rosy brown, dusty teal, mauves, etc.
Also, any color that repeats itself in my hair or eyes.

Hmm…I’m a dark blonde with golden highlights (more of them in the summer) and I have green eyes. I would say that I can wear similar colors to what Angie listed. Light grey, pastels, and antique colors look terrible on me…I get completely washed out. Warmer jewel-toned colors are best. If it has a warm base and is very saturated, I can probably wear it, but bright coral, red, orange, yellow, warm fuschia pink, all the blues (as long as it’s not muted), and emerald green tend to look best on me. I can wear citron as long as I keep it a light shade, or wear it as an accent color. Brown I have to add interesting colors to make work.

I am a dark blonde with an olive complexion. Probably mousy brown if I didn’t dye it. (blond as a child) Of the colours above I could wear the blue, red and black and white. The yellow and cream might work ( I am a bit undecided on cream) and the green definately wouldn’t. Colours I think of as murky eg olive, khaki, many browns and greys, and maroons are definately out. My Mum has been tring to tell me this since I was a teenager and I am finally catching on.
Black looks nice against my hair, particularly if I wear lipstick as my lips are very pale. Bright pink (but I love most pinks), red and a sort of blue – I bit brighter than pastel tend to elicit compliments

I am not sure what color my hair is. I think maybe tow-headed? All I know is that my hairdresser has told me that I have a very rare/unique hair color that is difficult to replicate and that very few people have. I’m pretty light-haired. I am pale (but not creamy like some redheads), and I have blue eyes.

Most people start out blonde and go dark as they get older, stopping somewhere in dark blonde to dark brown. I started out red. I was around 3 or 4 when my hair started to go blonde. I think because of that I work well in colors that also work for strawberry blondes or blonde-blondes. I love chocolate browns and greens. I seem to be able to sport almost any color of green. Whenever I wear them, I get compliments. I also tend toward navy–I have few black pieces in my wardrobe, preferring navy and brown–but lighter blues seem to brighten my eyes.

I love the color pink, but I think it looks terrible on me. It brings out the pink in my face. I also love other bright colors. I’m not sure what I look best in, though. I tend to stick with what I know works–greens, blues, and browns, and sometimes red.

I’ve never been blonde but now am totally grey, but it’s a yellowish grey that almost looks ash blonde. I’m at a loss as to best colors. Please do a feature on grey hair and color choice, although I’m sure it’s complicated.
On me, pastels are horrible. Beige matches my hair but makes my complexion washed out. Brights are too harsh. Ink and most blues are good, but my very worst color is teal. I find that I can get away with white if I use tanner on my face and an olive-toned moisturizer.

Christie, my hair started out medium brown when I was a child, and then got lighter as I got older. Now it’s what I would describe as dark blonde/light brown, very muddy though. I get it highlighted or else my natural color on its own just kills my skin tone and eye color.

I am a natural blonde, flaxen if you like, skin very fair, dark blue eyes, now in my later years, can’t wear black, used to, does this alter as we get older ??? love creams/whites, wear red, lilac, pale pinks, various blues, greens, not brown, wear beige but not next to my face. Would love helpful advice with makeup for aging skin, too pale makes me look ghostly, darker looks organge ?????

I’ve looked everywhere my whole life for a guide to what colours I should wear and I can’t find an answer. I have medium ash blond hair that goes lighter/highlighted in the summer from the sun. I have eyes that change from green to grey to brown and I mean COMPLETELY change in a matter of hours. The colour that is leaving moves to the outer rim and the colour it’s becoming starts around the iris. Sometimes my eyes are all three colours at once. I am pale skinnned but tan easily. HELP! I know I look lousy in pale pink and beiges.

i’m a .. medium blonde? probably more of a tow-head than ash but.. i’m unsure where i would be on the scale. pale. very pale. haha. with pink undertones. light blue eyes.
my question is about swimwear-haha little late in the year, i know. but there is an awesome sale on victorias secret. com. Can i pull off a golden yellow? i’ve never really worn much yellow. if not–how about coral?
i’m unsure. haha. i usually go in the blue/green direction but i’d love to try something new.
what are your thoughts on blondes in yellow or coral?
also, what do you think about very pale women and swimwear? i embrace my whiteness but i want to compliment it as best i can. so.. no white? i really don’t know. haha. THANK YOU!!

I have dark ash blond hair, fair Scottish freckly skin with pink undertones and VERY dark brown eyes. My skin absolutely SINGS when I wear deep teals, purples and true turquoise. Denim is my best friend! Anything with yellow undertones will make me look absolutely dreadful. Also, I have to be careful wearing any solid black top – unless I pair it with a smashing scarf in clear colors with blue undertones, it doesn’t work. White always makes me look washed out. My husband calls me a ‘stealth shopper’ because I don’t waste time shopping for colors that won’t work for me.

my hair is golden blonde but its getting darker. i am very tan and i stay tan all year (even through the winter) even though i really dont go tanning a lot. my eyes are hazel, more brown than green. im just interested to know what colors should i wear? i am five foot seven inches and i only weigh 115 pounds. so what colors would look best on me. i also have a pink streak of color on the bottom of my head on the side.

I recently had ash blonde highlights over my brunette hair to cover all the gray hair I have. I have no idea now what colors are best for me. I have hazel eyes and olive skin. I used to look really good in dark purples and even turquoise, but now I am not sure they look so good on me. Any suggestions?

I am a dark, golden blonde. I have a warm skin-tone, but I am not tan, nor pale. I would say I am pretty fair skinned… no where near olive or tan, but definitely no where near pale skin. I look great when I tan, but unfortunately, I’m stuck in between. I also have blue eyes. I personally think that I look good in corals/salmon… bright but not too neon. Colors on the warmer side. Unfortunately, I don’t wear makeup and don’t know how to wear really bright colors without them overpowering me. Once i figure out my palette, I can work on the make up…

I can’t figure out which I am… summer, winter, autumn or spring? Am I in between autumn and spring?

I was wondering which colours would look best on me. I have dyed blonde hair, but it is generally medium golden blonde (and then it lightens in the sun) and my skin is generally pale in winter, but in summer I tan very well.
Which colours would look best on me in winter and in summer ? I’m trying to find a grad dress that will make me look as good as possible.

I need a cute dress for a bat mitzvah. I have not very fair skin, I am kind of tan but then I get kind of pale in the winter, I have blue eyes, and Golden-browny hair with some cream streaks in my hair. I look pretty good in purples, pinks, blacks and tans but I am not quite sure as my mom has to say I look good since she is my mom. I have rosy cheeks, and my face is a mix between a tan and a pink…. I am starting to wear some makeup but I would like a suggestion for a complete palette please so I can look great! thanks!
~Katie